Patient medical parameter data is acquired, collated, stored and displayed for use in providing patient clinical care in hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare delivery settings. Patient medical parameter data may include vital signs ventilator information, infusion pump data associated with fluid delivery and other data. Such patient medical parameter data is typically displayed on a patient monitoring device screen in a trend indicative chart with a time axis. This type of chart is commonly termed a Flowsheet. A patient monitoring device is usually located at a patient bedside or nursing station in a hospital ward or in an intensive care, surgical or other location and may be connected to a network such as the Internet, a LAN, a WAN or an intra-net for acquiring patient parameter data from local sources (e.g., patient attached sensors) or remote sources (e.g., a remotely stored electronic patient record). The Flowsheet is an electronic chronological chart of patient information that substitutes for a paper vital sign Flowsheet.
It is desirable that an electronic Flowsheet offer similar or better features and flexibility than a paper Flowsheet chart that it replaces. Such paper Flowsheet charts are used by healthcare personnel to record patient Fluid Intake and Output information in many different ways. Known systems provide an electronic Fluids Flowsheet that is limited in its capabilities. Specifically, some known systems restrict flexibility in use of an electronic Flowsheet by employing fixed formats for different types of Fluid intake or output parameter. Other known systems restrict user ability to associate data items to acquired patient parameters and to locate such data items in a desired position within a Flowsheeet. Further, a Flowsheet may become encumbered and cluttered with data items associated with patient parameters thereby impeding its ability to rapidly and accurately convey patient parameter information to a user. These restrictions mean that known systems provide electronic Fluids Flowsheet that fail to replicate the look, features and flexibility of Flowsheet paper charts. A system according to invention principles addresses these limitations and derivative problems.